Scream Through The Night
by EvilAnimeGoodness
Summary: And during the nights, all he could think about was her pleading him to save her. What he failed to see was that there was another just as hurt as him. Two Shot. T just to be safe.
1. Her Scream

**Title:** Scream Through The Night  
**Summery:** And during the nights, all he could think about was her pleading him to save her.  
**Genre:** Angst/Hurt/Comfort  
**Words:** 868

--

Sokka was bad at maintaining relationships. That much was clear. Don't get him wrong, Sokka has the ability to any girl he wants, it just the 'keeping her' part he struggled with.

But then he met Suki.

The way her eyes gleamed with a fierce devotion that Sokka had seen in only the most courageous of Water Tribe warriors made his heart melt. The way she refused to humor his chauvinistic attitude, snipping it in the bud. The way she never hid behind her warrior make-up.

For a brief moment, Sokka truly thought he could be happy. Until the Fire Nation came. Go figure. When Toph told him the Kyoshi warriors in front of him were imposters, his heart sunk.

_So… where's Suki?_

Awful images sprouted into his head. Suki's lifeless body abandoned somewhere in a forest ditch. Suki wandering through unknown terrain cold and frightened. Suki forced to betray her beloved Kyoshi Island and join the Fire Nation.

Yet nothing prepared him for the words that carefully rolled out of Azula's tongue.

"_So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."_

Sokka blamed himself on both occasions. Failing the mission. Failing Suki. If he wasn't able to sleep before, now he had turned almost nocturnal. Dark bags grew underneath his eyelids. His body would constantly cry for its deprived sleep. It's not that Sokka believed he didn't _deserve_ to sleep, that's ridiculous, even for Sokka. No, it was that whenever he closed his eyes for more than about thirteen seconds, Suki plagued his mind.

He usually pictured would first picture Suki tied up in a chair with colorful welts decorating her skin. A red or black room, it'd change from time to time. Azula would stand before her with the heated whip in her hand. She would ask questions pertaining to Kyoshi militia etc. and the answer would always be the same.

_I fell asleep._ Sokka dreadfully noted.

Suki slowly looks up; blood trickling from her lip, and taking shallow breaths. A smirk would make its way through and she'd spat out, "Fire Nation scum won't get answers from me." Sokka would cringe soon after; the three of them knowing what would follow.

_I need to wake up._

Azula's nostrils flare and her eyes widen with outrage. The whip becomes engulfed in flames and is cracked with each of her words against Suki's body. "You. Shall. Not. Address. Royalty. As. Such. Filthy. Earth. Peasant!" The last word would be shouted and have and extra flare to it. At this point both pant heavily – one out of pain, the other of anger – and Suki is ridden with burns, cuts and bruises. Azula calls guards to return the 'disgusting trash back to its garbage bin' without moving a single fiber. Right before Suki leaves she shouts triumphantly.

"You'll never break a Kyoshi's spirit!"

Yet as soon as she is thrown into her cell, she is no longer the girl Sokka loves. Her eyes diminish into lacklustered nothingness. Her fellow warriors ask of her condition. To which she replies in a cocky tone which doesn't reach her eyes. "You think that hot tempered brat can get to me? Pssh, yeah right." Suki's eyebrows furrow in sadness as she slinks herself to the far right corner of the cell. Tears form in her eyes as she wraps her arms around her legs and brings them closer to her chest. Her head sinks down and her shoulders shake rigidly. She begins to cry. She's no longer the Suki Sokka knew…

She's a prisoner of war.

_I__**have**__ to wake up! I can't see this again, I…_

"Sokka…" Suki hoarsely cries out.

_NO!_

"Where are you?"

_This isn't real! It can't be real! I can't…_

"I don't think I can hold out much longer, Sokka."

_Stop it! _

"Sokka…" She moans out.

_Shut up!_

"Save me…"

_I CAN'T!_

Suki mutter Sokka's name. Slowly it becomes louder and brutal till she's screaming at the top of her lungs.

"SOKKA!"

Sokka thrashes upward. He's glad the dream is over, yet feels the horrible lingering feeling of the dream. Aang and Zuko are sleeping soundly beside him and Sokka sighs. "Not again." He whispered dejectedly. Sokka slides out with his sword in his hand and runs off to a deep forest. Once Sokka's breathing is labored he takes out his sword and slashes the nearest tree. A deep gash is left and Sokka clenches his jaw. He begins to release an onslaught of blows upon the tree. "I'm too weak! I slow the group down! I'm…" Sokka notices his last slash hits nothing but air and watches the tree begin it's descend. "I… I'm pathetic." He realizes that this exercise is the only one he finds relief in after the dream.

It dawns on him that he just can't handle her scream through the night.


	2. His Scream

**Title:** Scream Through The Night

**Summery:** And during the nights, all he could think about was her pleading him to save her. What he didn't know was that there was another just as hurt as him.

**Genre:** Angst/Hurt/Comfort

**Word Count: **1,149

**Author's Note:** No, I won't do a sudden revival of this two-shot. This chapter came as an unexpected inspiration mixed with the suggestion of one reviewer. In all honesty, I can't see why on Earth anyone would put a claimed one shot story on their alert list, kudos to you people, I suggest trying out the lottery while you're at it. The story will stay as a Suki/Sokka with one-sided Toph/Sokka. Thank you for reading, much is appreciated.

--

Toph didn't care much for anyone. The way she saw it, if people didn't care about her, shouldn't she return the favor? So, to find a kooky group of weirdos say that they belonged to the strings of destiny, her as well, was odd to say the least. Toph didn't really care whether or not the Fire Nation ruled the planet – she would still be confined in her prison of a home. In all honesty, Toph's main reason to join the gang was to defy her father. She never really though she would get attached. Teach some kid to earthbend, and then roam the world a bit, no problem.

She was wrong.

Twinkle Toes, Sugar Queen, heck, even Sparky became her friends.

Except for Snoozles.

The moment his angelic voice rung through her ear, Toph would feel her heart race and her cheeks warm. She knew she would never be able to be 'just friends'. For a long time she thought that, he felt the same way, he was just too much of a wimp to say it.

Again, wrong.

Meeting _her_ almost shattered Toph's blank world. No vanity, not an optimist, no weak-willed spirit, in Sokka's eyes and Toph's mind…

Suki was perfect.

Even after Toph saved them from imminent doom via huge tumbling boulders, all Sokka worried about was Suki. Toph was actually glad Suki didn't say anything; finally, an excuse to not like her! That is, until after they set camp and she publicly thanked Toph. Sokka had just bitten into some meat and questioned whether that really happened. It was lost in translation from the others due to the globs of meat in his mouth, but not to the blind Earthbender who spent her life focusing on voices.

She was nothing to him.

Toph did her best not to let it show; replacing her sadness with taunts and jive. She did her best not to cry upon feeling the couple unite as one in a kiss a few hundred feet away. The earth around her hand turned from soft rubble into an almost concrete plane as she sat up and pounded the same area silently with her knuckles, replacing almost spilt tears with blood. She did her best to let no one find out by switching her open palm techniques to closed fists. (It wasn't that much of a big deal. With Katara's healing, she could handle the pain, really.)

It was to her joy finding out that the one who claimed she was the Kyoshi leader, Suki, was nothing more than an imposter – Fire Nation none the less.

During the siege at the center of the Fire Nation land, the imposter was yards from them. She began to spout desperate claims to stop them from finding her powerless father. Sokka strode in the opposite direction until she begun to attack him.

"_So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."_

Suki.

Toph's eyes widened when she felt the princess holding a metallic object, waiting for Sokka to get close enough. Sokka slammed Azula into the wall after Toph made her release the weapon. His demands on her location and status met with no answers. Azula attacked with firebending and they dashed off in defeat. As the trio ran for an exit, Toph felt vile make its way up her throat and forced it back down. Shame fueled her feet, whilst dishonorable thoughts gave her speed. She felt a hand reach out for her shoulders and saw the vibrations of two racing hearts matching Sokka and Aang.

"It's my fault." Sokka chided. "I shouldn't have let her words get to me."

Toph's shoulders begun to tremble. Gods, Sokka wasn't helping at all! Why on Earth was she feeling this way? It wasn't her fault, Toph didn't have anything to do with Suki disappearing. She did something worse.

She enjoyed it.

Toph grinned at the thought of Sokka unable to reunite with Suki. She smiled when fighting the Kyoshi charlatan. Toph was happy of the situation, while in Suki was rotting some Fire Nation prison.

Disgusting.

Toph noticed the change in Sokka almost immediately. She felt Sokka's body withering. Sokka would act more and more sluggish. He was overlooked the couple of times he would pass on food, due to the demands of the other men in the Temple. She could feel his distinct vibrations get up late at night and run off. He had even collapsed when the two of them had chosen to collect firewood. Toph question Sokka once he was stable, yet he shrugged it off, claiming it would be best she wouldn't know. He wanted to solve the problem himself. The young girl knew it was wrong, but felt it her obligation to make sure he did just that. It was the least Toph could due for her traitorous actions – even if no one knew.

Every night, every stumble, and every sluggish action, Toph covered up for Sokka. She would feel his body toss in turn in spot. On the occasions he fell asleep, she would count the second until he jolted up. He never made it past forty-seven.

Once Sokka would get up, Toph would wait until he was almost out of sensing range to follow. He would stop after a half a mile or so. She would position herself sitting against a near by tree.

For every scream and every dull thumped attack, Toph would wince. She chose to stay and wait a little after the sound of a falling tree. For every sentence, Sokka insulted himself with; she chose to think he said them towards her. For every silent sob Sokka made for his lost love, Toph would let a tear fall for her disgrace.

Toph knows, because in the end, she deserves to hear him scream through the night.


End file.
